The present invention relates to indane alkanols and tricyclic isochromans and mixtures containing same as well as organoleptic uses thereof to alter, modify, augment, enhance or impart flavors and/or aromas in (or to) consumable materials.
There has been considerable work performed relating to substances which can be used to impart (or alter, modify or enhance) flavors and fragrances to (or in) various consumable materials. These substances are used to diminish the use of natural materials, some of which may be in short supply and to provide more uniform properties in the finished product. Sweet and musky aroma characteristics and sweet and musky flavor characteristics are particularly desirable for many uses in food-stuff flavors, particularly pear, apricot and peach flavors. Musky aromas are desirable in several types of perfume compositions and for use in perfumed articles.
The production of isochromans has been shown in the prior art and certain novel isochromans have recently been disclosed with an outstanding musk fragrance. Such isochromans especially adapted for perfumery by virtue of their fragrance properties have been disclosed in Heeringa and Beets, U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,530 issued on Dec. 26, 1967.
A number of routes have been shown to be available for the production of isochromans, such as those set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,530 and one of the most straight forward of these routes is treatment of a Friedel Crafts reactant with an alkylene oxide under Friedel Crafts conditions to form an aryl alkanol. The aryl alkanol is then isolated and thereafter reacted with formaldehyde to cyclialkylate the alcohol.
In addition, several other references set forth processes for the production of isochromans such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,719 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,964 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,090.
The aforementioned references set forth production of compounds having the structures: ##STR2## using as a precursor pentamethyl indane having the structure: ##STR3## None of these references implies production of compounds having any of the structures: ##STR4## using as a precursor the tetraalkyl indane having the structure: ##STR5##
U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,159 issued on Sept. 3, 1968 entitled "Novel Musk-Like Substituted Acenaphthene and Process" discloses broadly at column 3, lines 42-61 that compounds having the formula: ##STR6## may be employed in "the same manner as other musk-like compounds alone or in admixture with other ingredients". It is further disclosed that such compounds may be used in perfumes, lotions, powders, soaps and the like containing one or more odorants or flavoring substances. The use of such compounds in foodstuffs, however, is not disclosed per se. Indeed, the statement that such compounds can be used "with other flavoring substances" is not preceded by an antecedent statement that there is utility of such compounds in flavoring or in augmenting, or enhancing the flavor of foodstuffs.